Former Southend United chairman Vic Jobson has been cleared by a court on a charge of dangerous driving.
Mr Jobson, 62, of Benfleet Road, Benfleet, had been accused of driving his P-registered Jaguar dangerously in Fairfax Drive, Southend, on October 4 1997.
He denied the charge and was due to face trial at Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday.
But the prosecution offered no evidence against him and a verdict of not guilty was entered. He was formally discharged by the court.
Margaret Barnes, prosecuting, said the case was now rather old and delays had partly been caused by Mr Jobson's ill-health. She said it would not be in the public interest to continue with the prosecution.
Mr Jobson, who was paying for his own defence, was awarded his costs from public funds.
Mr Jobson had always maintained his innocence.
Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article